protecting your 510 center pin, Overtightening tanks... and are spring-loaded 510 pins really better?

[snackwitch]

Hi everyone,

I recently made a thread to talk about how my vamo was no longer accepting tanks (constantly giving low load error even when tank is plugged in) and I believed this was due to the 510 center pin being pushed in due to my habit of tightening tanks to the point that I cant tighten them anymore.

Going in nobody warned me that tightening my tanks too much can screw up my center pin, and I found out all this stuff after the fact.

So luckily I was able to get my vamo to work again by pulling up its 510 center pin and now very carefully tightening my tanks to make sure the tank's pin is perfect center and not tightening all the way. So my vamo seems to be working for today.

To be honest that part is counterintuitive to me, as my natural tendency is to tighten things all the way that they go.

How do you know that the tank is tightened to the right point and not too much?

I just bought a tesla vw and it has a spring-loaded center pin, and I heard that this solves the issue of the pin getting pushed in. Does it really, or does the pin eventually wear out on the spring-loaded ones too? Which ones are better in your opinion?

Or is this problem just due too the vamo just having a weak 510 center pin?

 

[anha]

I have 3 Vamo's and what I have found is that the rubber bushing that insulates the center pin breaks down with time. At first I would get away with pulling the pin back up but eventually the rubber was too far gone to really hold the pin up. A simple solution is to use a small pair of tweezers to pull the pin all the way out while being careful to not break the wire. Then slip a small o-ring over the center contact and carefully push the pin back into the bushing.

DO NOT remove the old bushing as you'll need it to insulate the center pin. The o-ring just keeps the center pin propped up so that it can make contact with your tank.

 

[snackwitch]

I still am a bit confused about the 510 pin and tightening my tanks. When do you know you have tightened your tanks enough and when is it too tight? Does the 510 just have to make contact and no tighter?

 

[Izan]

I still am a bit confused about the 510 pin and tightening my tanks. When do you know you have tightened your tanks enough and when is it too tight? Does the 510 just have to make contact and no tighter?

Greets,
"snug" is the operative word here.
If in doubt, fire while attaching your device, when contact is made, give it a "snug" and vape on.
I started with ALu and cheap brass mods and attys, so If I overtightened it, I stripped it.

Best of luck
I

 

[Bunnykiller]

I have an SVD which has the floating/spring loaded pin and has never given me any trouble. Altho if you get juice in the 510 connector area and it becomes "gummy", it will eventually get sticky and the pin will stay in the down position. A simple cleaning of the pin area with alcohol and a Q-tip resolves the issue.....
As far as the Vamo goes... the insulator breaks down and gets "mushy", I replaced mine with a silicone oring, worked great till I dropped it ( which killed it dead dead... )

 

[mattjjang]

Floating pins are nice as long is they aren't the kind that have the springs carrying the voltage. Those have a tendency to heat up and deform or melt depending on the quality of the spring.

 

[Capt.shay]

I don't own a Vamo (one on order actually) but the MVP has a lot of contact pin problems as well. I did a tutorial for all the fixes we came up with for that center pin and you should find some of them helpful. Click on my blog entry under my user name and center pin.

Welcome to ECF!

 

[rc3po]

My Russian 91% has a very short 510 connector( the only thing I don't like about it). My e-LVT is the only thing I have with a floating center-pin, and it's the only thing my 91 will fire on. The 91 won't even work on my Smok Omnitester. I have to use my DMM to check the Ohms on it - which is more accurate anyway.

 

[Izan]

My Russian 91% has a very short 510 connector( the only thing I don't like about it). My e-LVT is the only thing I have with a floating center-pin, and it's the only thing my 91 will fire on. The 91 won't even work on my Smok Omnitester. I have to use my DMM to check the Ohms on it - which is more accurate anyway.

OT:
A "REAL" Kebo R91 has a two piece center pin.
Take it to bits and separate the two pieces before reassembling.
Thread
Good luck
I

 

[Miata GT]

Some APV handle this better than others. My 1134s and MVP both lose center pin connection on many devices if the previous device has a longer male 510 connection for the center pin. On my ProVaris there seems to be a hard stop point when screwing on devices and everything I have makes a connection.

 

[DaveP]

All of the devices I use work fine with the tank screwed on lightly until you feel it lightly contact the center pin. I turn it no more than an additional 1/8 to 1/4 turn, just enough to keep it from unscrewing on its own. All of these tanks and mods have the center contact floating in a silicone sleeve. Tightening too tight just pushes it back into the mod or the tank.

Less is definitely more in the case of a tank.

 

[rc3po]

OT:
A "REAL" Kebo R91 has a two piece center pin.
Take it to bits and separate the two pieces before reassembling.
Thread
Good luck
I

I know. Mine is authentic & has the 2 piece center pin. I guess I should've been more specific. It will fire on my Zmax & Omnitester, but I have to back the bottom pin out so far that it is nearly falling out. So, by all intents & purposes, it won't work.

 

[rc3po]

All of the devices I use work fine with the tank screwed on lightly until you feel it bottom out and contact the pin. I turn it no more than an additional 1/8 to 1/4 turn, just enough to keep it from unscrewing on its own. All of these tanks and mods have the center contact floating in a silicone sleeve. Tightening too tight just pushes it back into the mod or the tank.

Less is definitely more in the case of a tank.

Not me, I just barely snug mine up after it makes contact. It works fine for me.

 

[Izan]

I know. Mine is authentic & has the 2 piece center pin. I guess I should've been more specific. It will fire on my Zmax & Omnitester, but I have to back the bottom pin out so far that it is nearly falling out. So, by all intents & purposes, it won't work.

Yeah, that blows chunks...
Can it work with a 510-510 or 510-Ego? Maybe an tank airflow controller for a flush-er fit.

Good luck
I

 

[r77r7r]

As someone that enjoys helping out in the newcomers forum, I only wish that I can cover all the things, like only snugging toppers, that are important to newcomers. There is just too much info.

I tend to focus on safety, like batteries and nicotine.

 

[rc3po]

Yeah, that blows chunks...
Can it work with a 510-510 or 510-Ego? Maybe an tank airflow controller for a flush-er fit.

Good luck
I

Probably, but it works great on my e-LVT's so I'm not worried about it. I'm gonna give the Zmax away to one of my sisters anyway.

 

[snackwitch]

How do you if your device has a floating pin with this design? I just bought a tesla vw, does it have this sort of spring-loaded 510 center pin?